Fourths to harrison s



(No Model.)

' B. S. ROBERTSON.

' SEAL LOCK.

v No.5 64,105." Patented July 14, 1896.

W N) v and pin member.

'- TUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. O

BURTON S. ROBERTSON, OF ANAOONDA, MONTANA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHS TO HARRISON S. LORD, ALBERT H. MELIN, AND JOHN C.

LALOR, OF SAME PLACE.

SEAL-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 564,105, dated July 14, 1896.

Application filed January 30, 1896. Serial No. 577,384. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BURTON S. ROBERTSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Anaconda, in the county of Deer Lodge and State of Montana, have invented a new and useful Oar-Door Fastening and Seal, of which the following is a specification.

This'invention relates to an improvement in seals and fastenings for freight-car doors; and the object in view is to provide a device of the naturereferred to which will be substantial as a door-fastening, which will enable the door to be quickly released and opened, v

and which, when used in connection with the I 5 sealing feature, will render it impossible for the fastening device to be loosened and the door opened without destroying the seal and making apparent the fact that the device has been fraudulently tampered with.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details of construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, and finally pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view showing fragments of a car and car-door with the improved latch and seal applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional View through the main plate tive view of the main plate. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the pin member. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the sealing-plug. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the sealing-plug. Fig. 7 shows 3 5 the sealing-press in side elevation.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a suitable base-plate, preferably of rectangular form, and secured to the door-post of the car adjacent to the edge of the door. The said plate is usually secured to the car by means of bolts which pass through the door-post 5 and receive nuts upon the inside of the car, thereby rendering it impossible for the bolts to be extracted from the outside. The plate 1 has, adjacent to its lower end,-an eye or sta ple 2, and adjacent to its upper end has formed thereon or secured rigidly thereto a socket 3.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspec-' This socket projects outwardly from the plate 1 and is formed with a narrow vertical aperture 4, extending entirely through the same, and of a size which will permit the passage of the pin 5. The formation of this vertical aperture establishes parallel upwardly-proj ecting ears 6, and these ears are formed with circular openings '7, arranged in horizontal alinement.

The pin 5 is preferably rectangular in crosssection, and has a head 8 in the form of a disk, the said head being formed with a cen-.

tral circular aperture 9, which, when the pin is in place in the socket, comes into alinement with the openings 7 in the socket. In rear of the head 8, and slightly removed therefrom, is a disk-shaped guard 10, corresponding in size to the head 8, the central opening being, however, omitted. The head 8 and guard 10 are connected rigidly at their upper edges by means of a hood 11, preferably formed in one piece therewith, the said hood forming a superposed guard for preventing access to the seal, hereinafter described, from above, and being also extended in advance of the head 8 to prevent tampering with the seal in front of the pin 5. When the pin 5 is introduced into the socket 3, the guard 10 lies behind the rear ear 6 and covers the opening 7 therein, While the hood-shaped guard 11 rests upon both of the ears 6. The pin 5 is also provided, adjacent to its extremity, with a slot 12, which may be utilized when it is desired to employ the ordinary tin or wire seal.

A hasp 13 is secured to the car-door by means of a staple 14, or in any convenient manner, and is located in such position that when the door is closed its slotted end may be passed over the eye or staple 2, above referred to. The pin 5 is next inserted through the socket 3, its lower end passing through the staple 2 outside of the hasp 13, thus preventing the end of the hasp from becoming disengaged from said staple. This operates as a secure fastening for the car-door, and when it is desired to open the door, the pin may be lifted sufficiently to allow the hasp to be moved off the staple. WVhen, however, it is desired to seal the car, a plug orseal 15,

of lead or clay in a plastic conditionor any suitable material is brought into use. This plug comprises a cylindrical portion 16, of a size that will just fit within and pass through the openings 7 of the socket and 9 of the pin. The plug is also formed with an expanded forward portion or head 17, upon which may be represented the name of the railroad, as well as the number of the seal, and any other desired information. The plug is also formed in its front face with a circular recess 18, which, after the plug is inserted in its place, is adapted to receive the end of the plunger 19, of a seal-press 20, of any ordinary description. This seal-press is provided with opposing shoulders 21 and 22, one being adapted to rest behind the guard 10 of the pin and the other shoulder 22 in front of the head 17 of the plug. The plunger19 may also be formed at its working end with suitable characters or distinguishing marks, or have attached thereto a die-plate 23, which in the act of sealing will imprint the plug 15 in the base of the recess 18. At the same time the material of the plug will, by reason of its compression longitudinally, be expanded radially and caused to bind within the openings in the socket and pin, after which the removal of the plug will be accompanied by the breaking of the seal and the obliteration of any characters represented thereon. Any fraudulent tampering with the seal will thus be made apparent to any one inspecting the lock.

\Vhen it is desired to open the car, the seal may be broken by pressing upward on the base of the pin or striking the same a blow with any instrument, the effect of this being to break the plug centrally, after which the pieces of the plug or seal may be readily removed.

The device hereinabove described forms a very substantial fastening for car-doors, and at the same time is perfectly adapted to have used in connection therewith the stout seal which will absolutely prevent the fraudulent opening of the car. It will be apparent that the pin 5 may be further strengthened by forming ribs extending longitudinally of the same; also that the head or face of the plug 15 may be composed of tin or thin sheet metal instead of lead or the material of which the cylindrical portion of the plug is formed. It

may also be found necessary to make the head of the pin thicker and to provide additional offsets or guards to defeat the insertion of the point of a knife-blade so as to reach the seal and cut the same without obliterating the impression. These and other changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a seal-lock, a socket-piece having a through aperture and also provided with a transverse opening communicating with said aperture, in combination with a pin mounted to slide through the socket-piece and provided with an opening adapted to be brought into alinement with the opening in the socket.

piece, the said pin being provided adjacent to the opening therein with a guard or flange, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a seal-lock, the combination with a metal socketpiece adapted to be secured to a car and comprising parallel plates having openings therein for the reception of the seal, of a pin formed with an opening adapted to be brought into alinement with the aforesaid openings for the purposeof receiving the seal, the said pin being provided with a guard arranged near the opening therein, and being further provided with an additional guard 1ying in a plane parallel to the shank of the pin and adapted when the pin is in position for scaling to cover the seal-openings at the rear and prevent access thereto, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The herein-described car-seal, comprising a cylindrical portion at one end thereof, and an expanded cap or head portion having formed therein a recess for the reception of the die of a seal-press, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto ailixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BURTON S. ROBERTSON.

\Vitnesses:

ALEXANDER DEVINE, \VILLIAM A. BOWER. 

